St. George’s Abbey, Stein am Rhein

St. George's Abbey, Stein am Rhein tickets: which one to buy

Saint George's Abbey stands at the edge of the old town of Stein am Rhein, in the canton of Schaffhausen, northern Switzerland, on the bank of the Rhine where it flows out of Lake Constance, and it is now a museum run by the federal government, with a small admission fee. It is open from spring to autumn. Stein am Rhein is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Switzerland, with painted house facades on its main square, and it is a popular day trip from Zurich, Schaffhausen and Konstanz, often combined with the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen.

Boats on the Rhine and Lake Constance stop in the town. Walking tours of the old town combine the abbey with the painted houses, the Town Hall and the castle of Hohenklingen on the hill above. The abbey church next door is a parish church and can be visited separately. The abbey is a short walk from the railway station and the boat pier on the Rhine.

Visiting St. George's Abbey, Stein am Rhein: what to see

The Benedictine abbey was founded in the early eleventh century on an island in the Rhine and moved to Stein am Rhein in 1007 by Emperor Henry II. The Romanesque church dates from the twelfth century. The abbey flourished until the Reformation, when it was dissolved in 1525. The last abbot, David von Winkelsheim, had just renovated the monastery buildings in a lavish late Gothic and Renaissance style, and because the abbey was closed shortly afterwards, the rooms have been preserved almost unchanged. The museum shows the monks' cells, the cloister, the dormitory, the refectory, and above all the abbot's festival hall, decorated with painted walls by artists of the early sixteenth century, showing scenes from Roman history and the life of the town, and carved wooden ceilings.

The rooms are among the finest surviving interiors of their period in Switzerland. The cloister's Gothic arches enclose a small garden, and the refectory has wood panelling and a painted ceiling. The monks' cells show simple furnishings, with some wall paintings. Displays explain the life of the Benedictine community and the history of the town. The festival hall's paintings, by Thomas Schmid and Ambrosius Holbein, are among the earliest Renaissance wall paintings in Switzerland. The abbey church, next door, has a Romanesque nave and Gothic choir.

St. George's Abbey, Stein am Rhein opening hours and the best time to go

The abbey museum is open from April to October, from Tuesday to Sunday, and closed in winter. Stein am Rhein is busy in summer, especially at weekends and when river boats arrive, and early morning or late afternoon visits are quieter. Spring and autumn are pleasant for walking along the Rhine. The town holds a Christmas market in December, when the painted facades are decorated with lights.

The castle of Hohenklingen, reached by a steep walk or a short drive, offers views over the town and river. Allow about an hour for the abbey museum, and stroll along the Rhine promenade afterwards. The Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen, Europe's largest waterfall by volume, are about half an hour away by train.